Mac users need malware protection

Oneof the main reasons Windows users switch to the Macintosh is to escape the constant onslaught of malware.

Viruses, Trojans and spyware are a constant threat to the Windows ecosystem.

Apple touts the Mac as being a haven from malware, and certainly in the past that’s been the case. But the past is no guarantee of what will happen in the future. The Mac’s market share is growing rapidly — from 2  percent just a few years ago to around 10 percent now — and the bad guys are starting to notice. Although relatively few now, there are an increasing number of threats taking aim at Mac users.

Add to that the fact that fleeing Windows users are bringing their bad habits with them. As I’ve written before, these folks may feel they can now compute with impunity, because they’re on what they’ve been told is a safe platform. That attitude is a security disaster waiting to happen.

That’s because most of the Mac malware now out there are Trojans — programs that masquerade as something else and require users to take action to install them onto Macs. Note that this is the same technique that many PC spyware programs use, and this kind of social engineering is frighteningly effective. Computer users who ignore common sense when surfing are eventually going to get burned, no matter what OS is on their hard drives.

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